Another decade, one, or two words @ a time!

By Tim Smith

I am going to ask for your indulgence this week as there are some celebratory thoughts within the proceedings.

This column began 14 years ago, on January 29, 2006 to be exact, as a resource promoting the arts in Pauls Valley, OK, and the surrounding area, that had been identified as a priority in the city's Vision 2010 long range community development plan. My appreciation to the staff at the Pauls Valley Democrat for all their support and encouragement over the years, and to each of you, thank you. If I might:

"The author makes a tacit deal with the reader. You hand them a backpack. You ask them to place certain things in it – to remember, to keep in mind – as they make their way up the hill. If you hand them a yellow Volkswagen and they have to a haul this to the top of the mountain – to the end of the story – and they find that this Volkswagen has nothing whatsoever to do with your story, you're going to have a very irritated reader on your hands." Frank Conroy.

I continue to labor mightily not to load you down, and to keep your spirits up.

For the better part of the last decade, I've embraced the E-Ministry of Rick Warren, senior pastor and founder of Saddleback Church in Southern California and the author of one of the largest selling books in history, “The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?” Today marks Saddleback Church's 40th anniversary.

For my Pauls Valley readers: Pastor Warren will soon be sharing a message that he is calling, "Vision 2020.”

Arts In Action: I want to thank Grapevine, Texas friend and fellow Rotarian, Mark Lucas Kelly, for sharing more on his long evening as an extra on the set of the film “Saving Mr. Banks.”

Mark has shared on more than one occasion that during the long night of filming he found himself in proximity to the actor Paul Giamatti, who plays the chauffeur, Ralph, to Emma Thompson's character and Mary Poppins' author, P.L. Travers.

Their conversation centered on, of all things, cars, brought on by the fact that they were using vintage 1960s models that were not exactly environmentally sound. From his re-telling, I am surprised that all of the extras in their scene together were not all hacking and blowing. Some final memories from Mark next week.

Reel to Real: Before leaving Academy Award season for yet another year, and not to worry, I will offer some thoughts after the February 9th celebration, I did want to share a very special Oscar encounter.

Many years ago, in the home of an early film pioneer, I had the honor of holding one of the very first Oscars awarded for performance. Heavy, and gray in tone, not like the bright gold it's great-grandchildren wear today, I still can feel the weight of its history all these years later.

"Shut the gate": Tom Hanks gave an emotionally tinged thank-you speech after receiving the Cecil B. deMille Award for lifetime work at the recent Golden Globes, and a dear friend and long time reader forwarded the You Tube clip to my attention.

From his few minutes, Mr. Hanks found time to share the term, "Shut the Gate": As he attempted to explain, hampered with a head cold, was that in the early days of film production, (when it was actually shot – on film), the recently exposed "celluloid" footage actually had to pass through a mechanism – 'the gate' that ensured its final presentation quality. They could not move forward with the shooting schedule until they heard that term. Talk about pressure, that is its very definition.

Taking Stage: We will soon have a break in the awards season and yet, as the song says in the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Carousel, "June is busting out all over," and that is when the American theater will be celebrated and the Tony Awards presented in New York City.

To assist in that journey, I secured a most interesting resource, through the auspices of Theatre Communications Group, and in particular, its American Theatre Magazine. I had been looking for new sources to help me gain clarity on theater trends.

Next week: Sharing how the arts impact an entire area of a state, not simply a single community, I hope you won't miss the third installment in the Arts In Action salute.

Theater, alive: I leave you this week with a term to place in your theater going backpack. "In the limelight.”

"Limelight was the first gas lamp alternative for lighting theatres. Invented in the early 1880s, limelight was generated by heating calcium oxide with a blend of oxygen and hydrogen. Theatres first began using limelight in the 1830s as the first spotlight. Now, we continue to say that those in the limelight are the center of attention." (Playbill.com: Ruthie Fierberg" 8/10/19)

I sense there is some angst being generated over the recent Oscar nominations, and what's new, in their town.

Welcoming you into the room and provoking conversation, since 1/06.

See you in the paper.

t A s